Saturday, 26 November 2016

UNDER-PRESSURE MDC-T leader,
Morgan Tsvangirai is today expected to address thousands of his party
supporters at the Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, Harare, at a rally dubbed the
Shutdown.

Tsvangirai’s appearance will
come after a lengthy absence from the public glare owing to ill health.

MDC-T secretary-general, Douglas
Mwonzora said the rally would be the last one to be addressed by Tsvangirai in
2016.

“We are going to have the
rally, which we have called the Shutdown. It will be the last rally that will
be addressed by our president in 2016,” he said.

The rally will come just four
days before the MDC-T takes on President Robert Mugabe’s government in what
they have called the finale of demonstrations.

Mwonzora said the party had
planned a major demonstration against Mugabe’s rule over corruption and general
suffering of the people, for November 30.

“We are going to have this
demonstration as Nera (National Electoral Reforms Agenda). Initially, it was a
day we had set aside for an MDC demonstration and Nera had planned its
demonstration for November 23,” he said.

“But it was outlawed by the
police. So it has been moved to that date, where, as one people, we will
challenge poor governance, corruption and brutality.”

The rally, which is expected
to be attended by political leaders from other parties, will be Tsvangirai’s
first in nearly three months.

The opposition leader has had
to limit his public appearances, as he has been routinely travelling to South
Africa for cancer treatment.

Following a public fallout
with Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa, Tsvangirai is reportedly under pressure
to increase his public appearances, which have been reduced to a bare minimum
and has been pushed to address the rally.

Sources in the party said
Tsvangirai would seek to address critics over his move to support Mliswa in the
Norton by-election.

However, Mwonzora said the
MDC-T was too big to be pushed into action by the outspoken independent
legislator.

“Mliswa alone cannot push a
monolithic party like MDC into action. We planned this rally some time ago and
it has nothing to do with him,” he said.

Mwonzora said Tsvangirai
would also map a way forward for the MDC-T, as they energise for the 2018
election preparations, which would mark 2017.

“The president will interface
with our members and review what has happened during the year as well as
propound a way forward for the party,” he said.